We Michiganders know that in summer it’s key to basically live outside. After so many months of cold (and enjoying those cozy home interiors I know you’ve all created!), we have to soak up all the rays we can get. That’s why my husband and I are currently planning our backyard project.
A shot of our backyard when we moved in...so much potential!
Our backyard has a lot of great features: it’s fenced in, a nice size and it used to be rather green and lush. But we lost some of that beauty last fall when we had a HUGE willow tree removed. That process destroyed all of our grass and left our yard more open than before. The good news? Now is the perfect time for us to re-envision what we want our yard to be.
So far, we’ve broken our backyard project down into three steps:
1) Replace the Fence
Having a fenced in yard is great! We previously had an old chain link fence that needed to go, and we recently replaced it with the warm tones of a treated pine fence. That alone cozied up our space and gave us some added privacy (a nice bonus when you live in close proximity to other homes).
Here's the new fence pre-staining and the current dirt pile...lol
2) Landscape Design
While we definitely need to bring back our grass, we also want to add more features to our yard. We contacted our friends at R&A Landscaping for some help as we start this process. Right now, we know that we want lots of green in our backyard: a garden bed, large bushes along the fence, and a secluded patio surrounded by green. Sound dreamy???
3) Order Outdoor Furniture and Décor
Overall, we don’t want to do anything too ambitious with our porch area since we have a longterm plan of taking off the sunroom and extending our kitchen. Even with those limitations, we can still make our backyard cozy and inviting for outdoor hosting.
My main purchase will be an outdoor dining set to be used on our porch (and later on that dreamy patio!). In addition, I’m thinking a fun sun shade, string lights, and tiki torches. This will create a festive and warm atmosphere perfect for an evening party or sipping a glass of wine with the hubby.
I’d also like to add in solar cap lights to our fence posts for a little extra lighting at night. We’ll likely finish off the look with a fire pit and a few more furniture pieces.
Check out my Pinterest board here to get a feel for what I'm envisioning.
I'm thinkin' something along these lines for our dining set...
The beginnings of what we hope to transform our backyard into.
And voilà!!! A backyard fit for our beautiful Michigan summers. What is YOUR dream project that you can’t wait to bring to life??? Let me know in the comments below.
Work with Lauren Figueroa Interior Design
LFID is a full-service interior design firm serving West and Southeast Michigan. We work with clients from Detroit, to Grand Rapids, to Holland, to Traverse City, and anywhere in between, and we pride ourselves on creating bespoke, people-centered spaces—because after all, people are what this life is all about!
If you have a project on the horizon, get started by telling us a little about your vision here, and you can view past projects here. Thanks for stopping by!
